Lewis Hamilton will start the Australian Grand Prix from pole position after one of the most thrilling and difficult qualifying sessions in recent times.
The rain-affected session threw up some surprise results further down the grid, but it was Hamilton who mastered them along with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.
With the increased torque from the new power units, it was obvious just how much input the drivers are now having as the cars squirmed all over the place.
Pole looked like it was going Nico Rosberg’s way, but a late late from Ricciardo put him ahead before Hamilton’s final flyer was enough to jump the Australian to take the first pole of 2014.
Ricciardo’s team-mate, Sebastian Vettel, could only manage 13th, in part thanks to the yellow flag caused by Kimi Raikkonen hitting the wall at turn four. Raikkonen eventually finished 12th.
McLaren’s rookie Kevin Magnussen was fourth fastest, whilst Jenson Button failed to make it out of Q2.
Both Toro Rosso’s and Williams made the cut for the top-ten shoot-out.
Further down the grid, Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi impressed to secure 15th, whilst the Lotus of Pastor Maldonado failed to even complete a lap.
Qualifying – 2014 Australian Grand Prix
| # | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:31.699 | 1:42.890 | 1:44.231 |
| 02 | D. Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:30.775 | 1:42.295 | 1:44.548 |
| 03 | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:32.564 | 1:42.264 | 1:44.595 |
| 04 | K. Magnussen | McLaren | 1:30.949 | 1:43.247 | 1:45.745 |
| 05 | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:31.388 | 1:42.805 | 1:45.819 |
| 06 | J-E. Vergne | Toro Rosso | 1:33.488 | 1:43.849 | 1:45.864 |
| 07 | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:33.893 | 1:43.658 | 1:46.030 |
| 08 | D. Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:33.777 | 1:44.331 | 1:47.368 |
| 09 | F. Massa | Williams | 1:31.228 | 1:44.242 | 1:48.079 |
| 10 | V. Bottas | Williams | 1:31.601 | 1:43.852 | 1:48.147 |
| 11 | J. Button | McLaren | 1:31.396 | 1:44.437 | |
| 12 | K. Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1:32.439 | 1:44.494 | |
| 13 | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:31.931 | 1:44.668 | |
| 14 | A. Sutil | Sauber | 1:33.673 | 1:45.655 | |
| 15 | K. Kobayashi | Caterham | 1:34.274 | 1:45.867 | |
| 16 | S. Perez | Force India | 1:34.141 | 1:47.293 | |
| 17 | M. Chilton | Marussia | 1:34.293 | ||
| 18 | J. Bianchi | Marussia | 1:34.794 | ||
| 19 | E. Gutierrez | Sauber | 1:35.117 | ||
| 20 | M. Ericsson | Caterham | 1:35.157 | ||
| 21 | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 1:36.993 | ||
| 22 | P. Maldonado | Lotus |
